THEO! WASTE OF MONEY????????

[augie]

MM99, to be fair to rob I think that he was probably referring to the fact that he is way too happy to be doing interviews and exclusives with the media considering that he has done fcuk all to date and I think that you will find that many people will agree on that point His comments about his priority being the world cup has also pissed a lot of Gooners off again cos he has done nothing to justify the money we paid for him and his number 1 aim should be to show his own club and fans what he is worth and then international football would surely follow - christ he aint even a regular starter in our team yet

[Rob]

As always Augie a Bullseye. And save me making the same response

[Kevinho]

According to radford we have what is known as a show pony.

the lad lacks the nous to play the game, he has nothing about him that even justifies 20% of the hype.

at best he's an impact player with at best 15 minutes to go. he constantly loses the the ball, makes the wrong pass, mis-controls the ball, fails to deliver a decent cross or beat a man.

his improvement since his arrival has been minimal and his Radford cannot see him replacing anyone in the team as he is simply not good enough.

and as for his loyalty to Arsenal the pup has stated his most important objective this season is getting to the world cup (thanks theo).

Radford also notes that a lot say he will come good, this he may well do but let's be honest here what we have had does not amount to much.

Having had consistent high hopes for Theo unfortunately I now have to agree with Radford's post. Yes he came back from injury today but he looked like he had never played football in his life. Dreadful first touch coupled with his usual blind alley runs while failing to have full control of the ball.

His season has barely started due to injuries so he has to stay injury-free but I have big, big doubts.

[Martin Hayes]

Sorry, but some of the comments here read like a tabloid newpaper:

5 years - Bought in January 2006, at the age of 17. Didn't make his debut until the following season. That's less than four years.

Interviews? Unlike some footballers, he is bright and articulate, so he is in demand. I can't recall reading anything which implied that he had a massive ego.

Searing pace? Yes, but he's not the football 'savant' that some claim him to be. He can shoot and cross.

Why do we feel the need to find a scapegoat, and over-analyse the chosen player to death? He has been impressive at times, and should be given time.

We do come across as spoilt brats on occassion...

[SteveO 35]

According to radford we have what is known as a show pony.

the lad lacks the nous to play the game, he has nothing about him that even justifies 20% of the hype.

at best he's an impact player with at best 15 minutes to go. he constantly loses the the ball, makes the wrong pass, mis-controls the ball, fails to deliver a decent cross or beat a man.

his improvement since his arrival has been minimal and his Radford cannot see him replacing anyone in the team as he is simply not good enough.

and as for his loyalty to Arsenal the pup has stated his most important objective this season is getting to the world cup (thanks theo).

Radford also notes that a lot say he will come good, this he may well do but let's be honest here what we have had does not amount to much.

Absolutely correct. Not sure I've come across such an over hyped Arsenal player for many a year. One of the least intelligent players too - if the chance is there to cut inside you can guarantee he'll go for the outside (normally running it out of play in the process), and when the chance is there to go for the line he'll run straight into the full back. Can't cross a ball, too easily knocked around, injury prone. The list goes on - Diaby gets slated for being inconsistent and erratic, where as boy wonder Theo gets away with murder in this respect

[tel]

I'm very unsure about him but I wouldn't write him off yet. He's been vastly overhyped by meeja and our "supporters" who will cheer him even when he does nothing.

At present if everyone is fit he just about makes the bench as we have several better options.

The sad fact is that he's still living off 1 decent game for England and a 20 minute cameo against the Dippers 2 years ago.

As my old teacher used to say on my school report, adequate but can do better would sum him up.

[augie]

Sorry, but some of the comments here read like a tabloid newpaper:

5 years - Bought in January 2006, at the age of 17. Didn't make his debut until the following season. That's less than four years.

Interviews? Unlike some footballers, he is bright and articulate, so he is in demand. I can't recall reading anything which implied that he had a massive ego.

Searing pace? Yes, but he's not the football 'savant' that some claim him to be. He can shoot and cross.

Why do we feel the need to find a scapegoat, and over-analyse the chosen player to death? He has been impressive at times, and should be given time.

We do come across as spoilt brats on occassion...

Seriously ?? How many occasions have you seen examples of this quality crossing that you speak of ? I mean sagna and clichy can cross a ball but not very well and I would suggest theo would fall into the same bracket.
As for his finishing.....did you watch the league game v the chavs at the grove last season ? How many very good chances did he get before they even scored ? I am always amazed by claims that he is a natural striker cos imo his finishing prowess has never backed that statement up for me

As for your interviews response can you tell me how many interviews better Arsenal players than he have given ? I think a fraction of what he has would be accurate. I think that fact that he is english is the reason why he is demand cos it is not for his performances on the pitch and that is a fact. The intelligence that you refer to doesnt apply on the pitch cos he continually runs down blind alleys and into full backs

Anyway this isnt a case of looking for scapegoats but many of us feel that he is certainly being given more leeway cos he is english and that he has a lot to do to justify his rep

[RNTGOONER]

I belive he needs to do more to be considered as one of the better players in the world and that what he needs to be otherwise he needs to be shipped out he can't be just pace and potential at 22-23 years old, I dont think he will make it as winger at Arsenal long term, I think he will be superseeded by someone (other than eboue) soon: Rosicky is probably more effective on the right and he will surely be under pressure from A.Ramsey and J.Wilshere for his place on the bench.

So unless Wenger can get his finishing under control and get him to run away from the defenders rather than into them, I dont think he is gonna deliver and that is a shame because we all want / wanted him to be a hero / next Henry at arsenal.

[g88ner]

Anyway this isnt a case of looking for scapegoats but many of us feel that he is certainly being given more leeway cos he is english and that he has a lot to do to justify his rep

Why is his reputation even an issue?

I put such little stock in media reputation as we all know what a bunch of clowns they all are, so why can't we laugh Theo's ridiculously overhyped reputation off, and judge him for what he is... just another young footballer who is trying to break into the Arsenal team?

After all, we've all seen the media hype around Michael Owen, but that's not reality... reality is that he sit on the ManUre bench and won't be going to the world cup.

I cannot understand why people expect, or demand so much from the boy, just because he's been branded a superkid. And as for his price tag (£10-12m) - that will easily be recouped if we sell him on anyway, so that's not even an issue.

He's been hit by so many injuries that it's difficult to accurately judge the lad.

I'm still confident he'll be a Wiltord type player for us i.e. scoring goals and offering an offensive/pacy option out wide. Whether that's as a squad player, or a first team regular, will depend on injuries and how he progresses over the next few years, but I for one won't be loading extra pressure on the boy just because the media have labelled him as a future star.

So, does he have to justify his reputation?? I don't think so. All he has to do is put the work in, and do his best... and if he does that, he should have a clear conscience whether he's the next Henry or not. So lay off him!

[Rob]

I cannot understand why people expect, or demand so much from the boy, just because he's been branded a superkid.

He's been hit by so many injuries that it's difficult to accurately judge the lad.

He's not a boy is he !!! He's 20 and by that age most footballers who are any good have shown it. He's been with us a long time now and he should be delivering on the pitch.

He's certainly keen enough - as they all are - to take Arsenal's money but whilest the ink was still wet on the contract he informed us with all deluded pretensions that 'the World Cup is the big aim this year'.

So he assumed Capello will pick him ? I'll bet he ain't so certain now !

He should have shown some proper respect to Arsenal, the Manager and the supporters by acknowledging that we'd just made him a multi millionaire and promise to put in DB10 like stints on the training ground - ie first on and last off - and deliver for Arsenal this season.

Instead he isn't sharp enough to put in even one 90 minutes, let alone a run of games. And yes it is his fault he keeps getting injured because he keeps running into the tackles like he does.

Try some body movement. Switch direction, make the defenders think about what you are going to do rather than run straight at them. Study Arshavin if you need a role model.

The opportunity is there. Whether he's capable of taking it, is another matter.

[REB]

i hope im wrong but i just cant see theo been the star we all hoped he would.
so inconsistent but we can all see the potential which is my big worry
also
he seems more worried about england then arsenal just like beckham the last few years.

[lagerisgood1981]

Let's give Theo time .... I do believe a certain TH14 came to us at the age of 22 and was transformed into an Arsenal great.

Although, I'm not putting Theo in the 'great' bracket .... yet!

[g88ner]

He's not a boy is he !!! He's 20 and by that age most footballers who are any good have shown it.

Beckham was on loan at League 1 side Preston NE at 20, so lets not go overboard, eh. As for Drogba and Ribery, well those superstars were playing for the mighty Le Mans and Stade Brestois, respectively. My point is, 20 is no age at all. Most young players are still very much in development (just like Song, Denilson, Bendtner, etc) and of course, not everyone develops as fast as Cesc, Rooney, and Messi. Those lot are freaks.

Theo is also a fairly young 20 year old, as his development has been continually interrupted by injuries. That, like with Diaby & Van Persie, cannot be ignored, as injuries definately delay and hinder a players devlopment. After all, Van Persie is 26 and what sort of career has he had so far??

As for your comment about it being Theo's fault that he gets injured.... I honestly don't know how to respond to that. It's a game of opinions, and that's yours, but personally I think that's very unfair. It may be his movement and technique that gets him injured, and maybe if that's true, it can be coached out of him... but even so, I'm not sure blaming him is the answer as I very much doubt he wants to be injured. I know fans can be unforgiving sometimes, but to BLAME Theo for his inherent shoulder weakness is fucking harsh

[RocastleRock]

When he play's he's great. Not his fault he keeps getting injured. I think he will be a future great.

[Martin Hayes]

How many occasions have you seen examples of this quality crossing that you speak of ?

Not as often as I would have liked to, but on a number of occassions

As for his finishing.....did you watch the league game v the chavs at the grove last season ?

Yes.

How many very good chances did he get before they even scored ?

Ooh...as many as Sunderland, Stapleton, Nicholas, Henry, Wiltord, and numerous others have missed on numerous occassions over the years.

I am always amazed by claims that he is a natural striker cos imo his finishing prowess has never backed that statement up for me

...not that he has many opportunities down the middle...

As for your interviews response can you tell me how many interviews better Arsenal players than he have given ?

Well plenty, but what that has to do with this, I'm not sure. He speaks well, and yes, being English does make him attractive to the press, rightly or wrongly.

The intelligence that you refer to doesnt apply on the pitch cos he continually runs down blind alleys and into full backs

'Continually' being a huge generalisation...

Anyway this isnt a case of looking for scapegoats but many of us feel that he is certainly being given more leeway cos he is english and that he has a lot to do to justify his rep

From the responses here, the responses from my Arsenal supporting friends, and general comments at the ground, I'd say that it is a minority.

By the way Augie, I am sure you are a very nice chap, but the 'rolling eye smiley faces' are more than a little bit patronising. This is, after all, your opinion, in the same way that what I have posted is my own. Fair point?